Predictive resolutions for tickets using semi-supervised machine learning

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method in which a processing system collects information associated with trouble tickets each including a problem abstract and a log text. The method includes analyzing the log text to obtain a problem resolution for that ticket; defining ticket clusters according to the problem abstracts, and labeling the clusters. The processing system creates a library of the labeled clusters, each entry including a cluster label, a problem abstract for that cluster, and a resolution summary for that problem abstract, indicating a mapping of the problem abstract to the resolution summary for that cluster. The method includes training, based on the mapping, machine-learning applications for a predicted resolution summary for each cluster and for classifying a new ticket. The method includes assigning the new ticket to a cluster according to the classifying. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to automated methods for tracking andresolving reports of system performance issues (referred to herein astrouble tickets), and more particularly to a system for predictingresolutions of trouble tickets using machine learning.

BACKGROUND

A typical trouble ticket reports a problem and describes the resolutionof that problem. The same problems and resolutions frequently reoccur inticket data. In addition, multiple tickets may be generated due to thesame problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limitingembodiment of a communications network in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a procedure for labeling and mapping historical ticketdata, in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for creatingresolution summaries based on problem features in trouble tickets, inaccordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2C illustrates abstracted problem descriptions and resolutionsummaries for ticket clusters, in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for managing opentickets in a cluster using an electronic dispatcher application andreporting tool (EDART), in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a virtualized communication network in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of amobile network platform in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acommunication device in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for a system and method using machine learning toautomatically cluster and label trouble tickets and generate resolutionsfor tickets. Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method thatincludes collecting, by a processing system including a processor,information associated with a plurality of tickets, the information ofeach ticket including a problem abstract and a log text regarding anissue affecting performance of a communication system. The method alsoincludes analyzing the log text of each of the plurality of tickets toobtain a problem resolution associated with the problem abstract forthat ticket; defining a plurality of clusters in accordance withrespective problem abstracts of the plurality of tickets, where each ofthe plurality of clusters include at least one of the plurality oftickets; labeling each of the plurality of clusters. The method furtherincludes creating a library of the labeled clusters having a pluralityof entries; each entry includes a cluster label, a problem abstractpertaining to that cluster, and a resolution summary pertaining to thatproblem abstract, thereby indicating a mapping of the problem abstractto the resolution summary for that cluster. The method also includestraining, based on the mapping, machine-learning applications forgenerating a predicted resolution summary for each of the clusters andfor classifying a new ticket into one of the plurality of clusters. Themethod further includes assigning the new ticket to a cluster accordingto the classifying model.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a device includinga processing system including a processor, and a memory that storesexecutable instructions that, when executed by the processing system,facilitate performance of operations. The operations include collectinginformation associated with a plurality of tickets, the information ofeach ticket including a problem abstract and a log text regarding anissue affecting performance of a communication system during a past timeperiod. The operations also include analyzing the log text of each ofthe plurality of tickets to obtain a problem resolution associated withthe problem abstract for that ticket; defining a plurality of clustersin accordance with respective problem abstracts of the plurality oftickets, where each of the plurality of clusters include at least one ofthe plurality of tickets; labeling each of the plurality of clusters.The operations further include creating a library of the labeledclusters having a plurality of entries; each entry includes a clusterlabel, a problem abstract pertaining to that cluster, and a resolutionsummary pertaining to that problem abstract, thereby indicating amapping of the problem abstract to the resolution summary for thatcluster. The operations also include training, based on the mapping,machine-learning applications for generating a predicted resolutionsummary for each of the clusters and for classifying a new ticket intoone of the plurality of clusters. The operations further includeassigning the new ticket to a cluster according to the classifying.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a machine-readablemedium including executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessing system including a processor, facilitate performance ofoperations. The operations include collecting information associatedwith a plurality of tickets, the information of each ticket including aproblem abstract and a log text regarding an issue affecting performanceof a communication system. The operations also include analyzing the logtext of each of the plurality of tickets to obtain a problem resolutionassociated with the problem abstract for that ticket; defining aplurality of clusters in accordance with respective problem abstracts ofthe plurality of tickets, where each of the plurality of clustersinclude at least one of the plurality of tickets; labeling each of theplurality of clusters. The operations further include creating a libraryof the labeled clusters having a plurality of entries; each entryincludes a cluster label, a problem abstract pertaining to that cluster,and a resolution summary pertaining to that problem abstract, therebyindicating a mapping of the problem abstract to the resolution summaryfor that cluster; the mapping includes a one-to-many mapping of aproblem abstract to a plurality of resolution summaries. The operationsalso include training machine-learning applications for generating apredicted resolution summary for each of the clusters, and forclassifying a new ticket into one of the plurality of clusters. Theoperations further include assigning the new ticket to a clusteraccording to the classifying.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a communications network 100 inaccordance with various aspects described herein. For example,communications network 100 can facilitate in whole or in part compilingtickets each including a problem abstract and a log text regarding anissue affecting performance of a communication system. In particular, acommunications network 125 is presented for providing broadband access110 to a plurality of data terminals 114 via access terminal 112,wireless access 120 to a plurality of mobile devices 124 and vehicle 126via base station or access point 122, voice access 130 to a plurality oftelephony devices 134, via switching device 132 and/or media access 140to a plurality of audio/video display devices 144 via media terminal142. In addition, communication network 125 is coupled to one or morecontent sources 175 of audio, video, graphics, text and/or other media.While broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130 andmedia access 140 are shown separately, one or more of these forms ofaccess can be combined to provide multiple access services to a singleclient device (e.g., mobile devices 124 can receive media content viamedia terminal 142, data terminal 114 can be provided voice access viaswitching device 132, and so on).

The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements(NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110,wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or thedistribution of content from content sources 175. The communicationsnetwork 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, avoice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP)network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G,or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network,UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless accessnetwork, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communicationsnetwork.

In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digitalsubscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem terminationsystem (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal.The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers,netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digitalsubscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interfacespecification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modemsuch as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/orother access devices.

In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can includea 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point thatoperates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or otherwireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobilephones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or othermobile computing devices.

In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a privatebranch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIPgateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. Thetelephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with orwithout a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephonydevices.

In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cablehead-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or othermedia terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions withor without a set top box, personal computers and/or other displaydevices.

In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcasttelevision and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streamingvideo and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks,data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or othersources of media.

In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can includewired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152,154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transferpoints, service control points, network gateways, media distributionhubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and othernetwork nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic overwired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and otherpublic networks as well as one or more private networks, for managingsubscriber access, for billing and network management and for supportingother network functions.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a procedure 201 for labeling and mappinghistorical ticket data relating to issues reported in the communicationnetwork of FIG. 1 , in accordance with various aspects described herein.As shown in FIG. 2A, one or more incidents 219 occurring in system 210results in creation of trouble tickets 211. In this embodiment, data onhistorical tickets (that is, problems that have occurred, anddescriptions of their resolution) is compiled and analyzed to generatesuggested resolutions for new tickets. In an embodiment, tickets may becollected and processed periodically (e.g. in monthly batches).

The historical tickets 211 are organized in a clustering procedure 212,according to similarities in their problem abstracts (descriptions ofthe respective reported problems) and in the respective resolutions tothe reported problems. In this embodiment, the resolution for a ticketis based on the unformatted log text of the history of that ticket.

Each cluster is then labeled (labeling procedure 213) to associate theproblem abstract with a resolution. The resulting mapping 214 of problemabstracts to resolutions is used to create a database 215 of historicalresolutions; in this embodiment, a matrix is generated showing all ofthe clusters and their associated historical resolutions. A givenproblem abstract may be associated with more than one resolution;accordingly, the matrix will in general reflect a one-to-many mapping ofproblems and resolutions.

In this embodiment, the mapping 215 for the historical tickets is usedin training procedures 216, in which a classification model is trainedto predict resolutions for new tickets, and a generative model istrained to produce resolution summaries based on the log text of ticketsin the cluster. In this embodiment, training 216 is performed usingsupervised machine learning.

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 202 forautomatically creating resolution summaries based on problem features introuble tickets, and training a classification model for troubletickets, in accordance with various aspects described herein. In step2202, a processing system parses the problem abstract text and the logtext of each of the historical tickets 211. In this embodiment, this isdone using natural language processing (NLP). The problem abstract maybe viewed as including several features descriptive of the problem(“problem signatures”). The log text of a ticket may be viewed as noisydata from which the ticket resolution is obtained. In an embodiment, theparsing procedure converts the log text and the problem signaturefeatures into numerical features that form a compressed representationof the data.

The processing system then reduces the number of features to obtainthose features that are most relevant to the problem (step 2204). Inthis embodiment, this is done using an autoencoder which learns acompressed representation of the data by attempting to reconstruct thedata. The reconstruction error (that is, distance between a given datapoint and a “normal” or “expected” data point) indicates data pointsthat are outliers relative to the rest of the data. In one embodiment, aneural network is trained on log text messages to recognize a “normal”message, and assigns an error number to all of the messages; themessages with the greatest error are labeled as outliers.

In step 2206, clusters are constructed based on the problem signaturesand log text of the historical tickets. In an embodiment, the clustersare constructed using a clustering model (an algorithm trained toidentify distinct groups in a dataset; an example of unsupervisedmachine learning) and have a predefined minimum size,

Each cluster is then labeled with a problem abstract and a problemresolution (step 2208). The resolution is extracted from the parsed logtexts of the tickets in the cluster. In one embodiment, the labeling isperformed manually. In step 2210, a library is constructed of clusterlabels mapped to summaries of resolutions for each cluster. In thisembodiment, the mapping is expressed as a matrix in which each rowcorresponds to one cluster and includes a problem abstract andresolution summary. In a further embodiment, a cluster is listed in thematrix with different resolution summaries, each having a probabilityassociated therewith (that is, an estimate of the likelihood that theproblem was actually resolved by the listed resolution).

The mapping library (cluster labels and resolution summaries) is thenused to train a generative model to create resolution summariesautomatically, without human input (step 2212). In an embodiment, theresolution summaries are input to a generative neural network. Themapping library is also used as input to train a multi-levelclassification model (e.g. a random forest algorithm) to predictresolutions for new tickets (step 2214).

A new ticket can then be classified into a cluster with an estimatedprobability (step 2216). The clusters with the highest probabilities(that is, the highest level of confidence that the new ticket should beassigned to a given cluster), with their descriptions and theirassociated resolution summaries, are presented to the user (step 2218).In an embodiment, the predicted resolution is associated with aprobability that is also presented to the user; the predicted resolutionprobability represents a level of confidence that the predictedresolution will in fact resolve the problem presented by the new ticket.

At predefined intervals (e.g. every three months) the model can beretrained to incorporate new data and feedback from system maintenancepersonnel. In an embodiment, the generative model is trained so that itis enabled to extract resolution summaries from log text where thoseresolution summaries were previously misclassified as outliers. Theseimproved resolution summaries can then be input to the clusteringmodels. In an embodiment, improved clustering enables automatedlabeling, and further improves classification and the generatedresolution summaries.

In a further embodiment, high-confidence resolutions can be turned intopolicies to be used in automation. These policies can be refined using areinforcement learning procedure in which the starting state is theproblem, the actions correspond to a list of resolutions, and thestarting reward is the probability of an action being the correctresolution. The system can adjust the reward based on the outcome(positive, negative, neutral) of taking the suggested action.

FIG. 2C illustrates a matrix 203 of abstracted problem descriptions andresolution summaries for clusters of historical tickets, in accordancewith various aspects described herein. As shown in FIG. 2C, each row ofmatrix 203 corresponds to a cluster of tickets, and includes anidentifier 231 for the cluster, the number of tickets 232 in thecluster, the problem abstract 233 for the cluster, and the resolutionsummary 234 associated with the problem abstract for that cluster. Anexample of one-to-many mapping of problem abstracts to resolutionsummaries is shown in rows 2301-2302 and 2311-2312 of the matrix, wherethe same problem abstract is associated with two distinct resolutionsummaries.

FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 204 for managingopen tickets in a cluster using an electronic dispatcher application andreporting tool (EDART), in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

In step 2401, a processing system defines the scope of the analysis ofthe tickets; for example, tickets generated within a given number ofhours in a given portion of system 210. In an embodiment, the scope isdetermined from input by a user of the system (which may include systemmaintenance personnel, e.g. an operations engineer). The processingsystem identifies clusters of tickets within the analysis scope (step2402). For each cluster, the system then searches (step 2404) forassociations between the problem abstract and the resolutions on thevarious tickets in that cluster. In an embodiment, the log texts of thetickets in each cluster are analyzed to identify resolution(s) relevantto the problem abstract for that cluster. EDART then adds the relevantresolutions to each ticket in the cluster automatically (step 2406). Inan embodiment, EDART may close a ticket in accordance with a definedpolicy.

If any ticket in a given cluster has already been closed (step 2410),for example by an operations engineer, EDART automatically attaches anidentifier for the closed ticket (e.g. a closed ticket number) to eachopen ticket in the cluster (step 2412). In this embodiment, EDART alsochanges the status of those tickets from “open” to “ready to close.”Tickets with “ready to close” status may then be reviewed and closed byan operations engineer.

In a further embodiment, the processing system is integrated with achatbot that interacts with an operations engineer. If the engineerselects an open ticket for review (step 2414), the chatbot proceeds toassign other open tickets in the same cluster to that engineer. In thisembodiment, the engineer is assigned to review all tickets in thecluster with status “ready to close” upon selecting one such ticket.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIGS. 2A, 2Band 2D, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subjectmatter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks mayoccur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks fromwhat is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustratedblocks may be required to implement the methods described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , a block diagram 300 is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication networkin accordance with various aspects described herein. In particular avirtualized communication network is presented that can be used toimplement some or all of the subsystems and functions of communicationnetwork 100, the subsystems and functions of system 201, and method 204presented in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D. For example, virtualizedcommunication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in part creating alibrary of the labeled clusters having a plurality of entries, whereeach entry includes a cluster label, a problem abstract pertaining tothat cluster, and a resolution summary pertaining to that problemabstract, thereby indicating a mapping of the problem abstract to theresolution summary for that cluster, where the mapping includes aone-to-many mapping of a problem abstract to a plurality of resolutionsummaries.

In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that leveragescloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via atransport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or oneor more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, thiscloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leveragesapplication programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity fromservices and operations; supports more nimble business models; andrapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirementsincluding traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity ofperformance and reliability expectations.

In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typicallyintegrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communicationnetwork employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. thatperform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154,156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrateof networking capability, often called Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of beingdirected with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocolsto perform a broad variety of network functions and services. Thisinfrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typicaltype of substrate being servers that support Network FunctionVirtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities basedon generic computing resources, with specialized network technologiesbrought to bear when general purpose processors or general purposeintegrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein asmerchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communicationservices can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.

As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in FIG. 1 ),such as an edge router can be implemented via a VNE 330 composed of NFVsoftware modules, merchant silicon, and associated controllers. Thesoftware can be written so that increasing workload consumes incrementalresources from a common resource pool, and moreover so that it'selastic: so the resources are only consumed when needed. In a similarfashion, other network elements such as other routers, switches, edgecaches, and middle-boxes are instantiated from the common resource pool.Such sharing of infrastructure across a broad set of uses makes planningand growing infrastructure easier to manage.

In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wiredand/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces toprovide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130,media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distributionof content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, insome cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place,and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times,the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannotbe abstracted or virtualized, and might require special DSP code andanalog front-ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementationas VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included intransport layer 350.

The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transportlayer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specificNFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to supportnetworking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-onemapping of traditional network element function or alternately somecombination of network functions designed for cloud computing. Forexample, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain namesystem (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility managemententity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers forIP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers andother network elements. Because these elements don't typically need toforward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributedacross a number of servers—each of which adds a portion of thecapability, and overall which creates an elastic function with higheravailability than its former monolithic version. These virtual networkelements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using anorchestration approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.

The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualizednetwork function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilitiesof the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expandedcapabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. Inparticular, network workloads may have applications distributed acrossthe virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computingenvironment 375 and in the commercial cloud, or might simply orchestrateworkloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these thirdparty locations.

Turning now to FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a block diagram of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein. In order to provide additional context for various embodimentsof the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and the following discussionare intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitablecomputing environment 400 in which the various embodiments of thesubject disclosure can be implemented. In particular, computingenvironment 400 can be used in the implementation of network elements150, 152, 154, 156, access terminal 112, base station or access point122, switching device 132, media terminal 142, and/or VNEs 330, 332,334, etc. Each of these devices can be implemented viacomputer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers,and/or in combination with other program modules and/or as a combinationof hardware and software. For example, computing environment 400 canfacilitate in whole or in part training, based on the mapping in thelibrary of labeled clusters, a generative algorithm for generating apredicted resolution summary, and a classification model for classifyinga new ticket into one of the plurality of clusters.

Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors aswell as other application specific circuits such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine,programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals ordata and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. Itshould be noted that any functions and features described herein inassociation with the operation of a processor could likewise beperformed by a processing circuit.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which cancomprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media,which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured dataor unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesor other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to storedesired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or“non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any informationdelivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signalsrefers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged in such a manner as to encode information in one or moresignals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication mediacomprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and otherwireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 4 , the example environment can comprise acomputer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing unit 404, asystem memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus 408 couplessystem components including, but not limited to, the system memory 406to the processing unit 404. The processing unit 404 can be any ofvarious commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors andother multiprocessor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 404.

The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that canfurther interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can bestored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within the computer 402,such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAMsuch as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414(e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured forexternal use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy diskdrive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or,to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as theDVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can beconnected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, amagnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428,respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external driveimplementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus(USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies arewithin contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storagemedia accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format.Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refersto a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and aremovable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that other types of storage media which arereadable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flashmemory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the exampleoperating environment, and further, that any such storage media cancontain computer-executable instructions for performing the methodsdescribed herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412,comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions ofthe operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and apointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown)can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick,a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and otherinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through aninput device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408,but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, anIEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,an IR interface, etc.

A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. Itwill also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display,a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving displayinformation associated with computer 402 via any communication means,including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to themonitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral outputdevices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remotecomputer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallycomprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storagedevice 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprisewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can beconnected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communicationnetwork interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wiredor wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise awireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprisea modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portionsthereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It willbe appreciated that the network connections shown are example and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers can beused.

The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bedin a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is awireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enablessuch devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to providesecure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can beused to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wirednetworks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operatein the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with productsthat contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can providereal-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernetnetworks used in many offices.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , an embodiment 500 of a mobile network platform510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156,and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. For example, platform 510 can facilitatein whole or in part defining a plurality of clusters of tickets inaccordance with respective problem abstracts of those tickets. In one ormore embodiments, the mobile network platform 510 can generate andreceive signals transmitted and received by base stations or accesspoints such as base station or access point 122. Generally, mobilenetwork platform 510 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways,interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate bothpacket-switched (PS) (e.g., internet protocol (IP), frame relay,asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) and circuit-switched (CS) traffic(e.g., voice and data), as well as control generation for networkedwireless telecommunication. As a non-limiting example, mobile networkplatform 510 can be included in telecommunications carrier networks, andcan be considered carrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein.Mobile network platform 510 comprises CS gateway node(s) 512 which caninterface CS traffic received from legacy networks like telephonynetwork(s) 540 (e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN), orpublic land mobile network (PLMN)) or a signaling system #7 (SS7)network 560. CS gateway node(s) 512 can authorize and authenticatetraffic (e.g., voice) arising from such networks. Additionally, CSgateway node(s) 512 can access mobility, or roaming, data generatedthrough SS7 network 560; for instance, mobility data stored in a visitedlocation register (VLR), which can reside in memory 530. Moreover, CSgateway node(s) 512 interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling and PSgateway node(s) 518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, CS gatewaynode(s) 512 can be realized at least in part in gateway GPRS supportnode(s) (GGSN). It should be appreciated that functionality and specificoperation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PS gateway node(s) 518, and servingnode(s) 516, is provided and dictated by radio technology(ies) utilizedby mobile network platform 510 for telecommunication over a radio accessnetwork 520 with other devices, such as a radiotelephone 575.

In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic andsignaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticatePS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions cancomprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to themobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550,enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can beembodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced withmobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to benoted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at leastin part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Basedon radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) orradio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packetdata protocol contexts when a data session is established; other datastructures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can begenerated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 cancomprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetizedcommunication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Finetworks.

In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises servingnode(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) withintechnology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey thevarious packetized flows of data streams received through PS gatewaynode(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that relyprimarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver trafficwithout reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s)can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, ina 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRSsupport node(s) (SGSN).

For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s)514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applicationsthat can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows,and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Suchapplication(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (forexample, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided bymobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that arepart of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gatewaynode(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a datasession, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. Inaddition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utilityserver(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, anoperations and maintenance server, a security server that can implementat least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as othersecurity mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s)secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 toensure network's operation and data integrity in addition toauthorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s)can provision services from external network(s) like networks operatedby a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or GlobalPositioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s)can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobilenetwork platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same serviceprovider), such as antennas networks that enhance wireless servicecoverage by providing more network coverage.

It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processorsconfigured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobilenetwork platform 510. To that end, the one or more processor can executecode instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It is should beappreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, whichoperates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.

In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related tooperation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational informationcan comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served throughmobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; applicationintelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rateprograms, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistentwith telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, orwireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also storeinformation from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 canbe, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as aremotely connected memory store.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 5 , and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

Turning now to FIG. 6 , an illustrative embodiment of a communicationdevice 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can serve as anillustrative embodiment of devices such as data terminals 114, mobiledevices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144 or other client devicesfor communication via communications network 125.

The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1×, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interfacehaving graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by auser with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped withcapacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect howmuch surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of thetouch screen display. This sensing information can be used to controlthe manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the userinterface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housingassembly of the communication device 600 or an independent devicecommunicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (suchas a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a slot for adding or removing an identity modulesuch as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or Universal IntegratedCircuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can be used for identifyingsubscriber services, executing programs, storing subscriber data, and soon.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in theclaims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only anddoesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “afirst determination,” “a second determination,” and “a thirddetermination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determinationis to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “datastore,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciatedthat the memory components described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile andnonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further,nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory.Volatile memory can comprise random access memory (RAM), which acts asexternal cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM isavailable in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM(DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM),enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM(DRRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems ormethods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited tocomprising, these and any other suitable types of memory.

Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can bepracticed with other computer system configurations, comprisingsingle-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computingdevices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-heldcomputing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tabletcomputers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. Theillustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network; however, some if not allaspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alonecomputers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules canbe located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can begenerated including services being accessed, media consumption history,user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained byvarious methods including user input, detecting types of communications(e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams,sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring ofthis information can be responsive to an authorization provided by theuser. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject toauthorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in,an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selectiveauthorization based on types of data, and so forth.

Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificialintelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more featuresdescribed herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection withautomatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximumvalue/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) canemploy various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodimentsthereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a rankingor priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is afunction that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . ,xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is,f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilisticand/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysisutilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desiresto be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is anexample of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates byfinding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which thehypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from thenon-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classificationcorrect for testing data that is near, but not identical to trainingdata. Other directed and undirected model classification approachescomprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neuralnetworks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification modelsproviding different patterns of independence can be employed.Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statisticalregression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments canemploy classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generictraining data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing userequipment UE behavior, operator preferences, historical information,receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configuredvia a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor andfeature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used toautomatically learn and perform a number of functions, including but notlimited to determining according to predetermined criteria which of theacquired cell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/orwhich of the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existingcommunication network coverage, etc.

As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, theterms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, orcomprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to anoperational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, whereinthe entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. As an example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By wayof illustration and not limitation, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components mayreside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component maybe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In addition, these components can execute from variouscomputer readable media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by asoftware or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. While various components have beenillustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiplecomponents can be implemented as a single component, or a singlecomponent can be implemented as multiple components, without departingfrom example embodiments.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method,apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosedsubject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein isintended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communicationsmedia. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but arenot limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digitalversatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art willrecognize many modifications can be made to this configuration withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to meanserving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or designdescribed herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments ordesigns. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended topresent concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, theterm “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “Xemploys A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusivepermutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both Aand B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoinginstances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims should generally be construed tomean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context tobe directed to a singular form.

Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,”subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobiledevice” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to awireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wirelesscommunication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video,sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. Theforegoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with referenceto the related drawings.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” andthe like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless contextwarrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should beappreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automatedcomponents supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacityto make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms),which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially anycomputing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited tocomprising, single-core processors; single-processors with softwaremultithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-coreprocessors with software multithread execution capability; multi-coreprocessors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; andparallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, aprocessor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), acomplex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploitnano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular andquantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimizespace usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,”and substantially any other information storage component relevant tooperation and functionality of a component, refer to “memorycomponents,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprisingthe memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components orcomputer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile andnonvolatile memory.

What has been described above includes mere examples of variousembodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art canrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the presentembodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/orclaimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes”is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term isintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue”indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that thesteps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used inconjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates thebeginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by otheractivities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indicationreflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/ormay be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further,while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, otherorderings are likewise possible provided that the principles ofcausality are maintained.

As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupledto”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/orindirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Suchitems and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions,communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functionalblocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signalconveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one ormore intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format ofinformation in a signal, while one or more elements of the informationin the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can berecognized by the second item. In a further example of indirectcoupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the seconditem, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more interveningitems.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: collecting, by a processing system including a processor, information associated with a plurality of tickets, the information of each of the plurality of tickets including a problem abstract and a log text regarding an issue affecting performance of a communication system; analyzing, by the processing system, the log text of each of the plurality of tickets to obtain a problem resolution associated with the problem abstract for that ticket; defining, by the processing system, a plurality of clusters in accordance with respective problem abstracts of the plurality of tickets, each of the plurality of clusters including at least one of the plurality of tickets; labeling, by the processing system, each of the plurality of clusters; creating, by the processing system, a library of the labeled clusters having a plurality of entries, wherein each entry includes a cluster label, a problem abstract pertaining to that cluster, and a resolution summary pertaining to that problem abstract, thereby indicating a mapping of the problem abstract to the resolution summary for that cluster; training, by the processing system based on the mapping, a first machine-learning application for generating a predicted resolution summary for each of the plurality of clusters; training, by the processing system based on the mapping, a second machine-learning application for classifying a new ticket into one of the plurality of clusters; assigning, by the processing system, the new ticket to a cluster according to the classifying; and analyzing, by the processing system, tickets of at least one cluster using an electronic dispatcher application and reporting tool (EDART), wherein the EDART tool causes closure of a ticket in accordance with a policy, wherein responsive to a ticket in the at least one cluster being closed, the EDART tool causes attachment, to each open ticket in that cluster, of a message indicating a pending review by a user.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning further comprises generating a number indicating a confidence level for the assigning.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assigning further comprises generating a number indicating a confidence level for each of a plurality of possible clusters.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: presenting, by the processing system, to the user a list of the possible clusters ordered according to the confidence level.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises parsing the log text using natural language processing.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises expressing the log text as numerical features.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tickets are associated with the performance of the communication system over a past time period.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping includes a one-to-many mapping of a problem abstract to a plurality of resolution summaries.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment of the message results in an attached message, and further comprising: responsive to the user selecting a ticket in a cluster where the selected ticket has the attached message, assigning, by the processing system, to that user for review all tickets in that cluster having the attached message.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing system is integrated with a chatbot performing the assigning.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein responsive to selection by the user of an open ticket in a cluster of the plurality of clusters, the chatbot assigns to that user another open ticket in that cluster.
 12. A device comprising: a processing system including a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising: collecting information associated with a plurality of tickets, the information of each of the plurality of tickets including a problem abstract and a log text regarding an issue affecting performance of a communication system during a past time period; analyzing the log text of each of the plurality of tickets to obtain a problem resolution associated with the problem abstract for that ticket; defining a plurality of clusters in accordance with respective problem abstracts of the plurality of tickets, each of the plurality of clusters including at least one of the plurality of tickets; labeling each of the plurality of clusters; creating a library of the labeled clusters having a plurality of entries, wherein each entry includes a cluster label, a problem abstract pertaining to that cluster, and a resolution summary pertaining to that problem abstract, thereby indicating a mapping of the problem abstract to the resolution summary for that cluster; training, based on the mapping, a first machine-learning application for generating a predicted resolution summary for each of the plurality of clusters; training, based on the mapping, a second machine-learning application for classifying a new ticket into one of the plurality of clusters; assigning the new ticket to a cluster according to the classifying; and analyzing tickets of at least one cluster using an electronic dispatcher application and reporting tool (EDART), wherein the EDART tool causes closure of a ticket in accordance with a policy, wherein responsive to a ticket in the at least one cluster being closed, the EDART tool causes attachment, to each open ticket in that cluster, of a message indicating a pending review by a user.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the assigning further comprises generating a number indicating a confidence level for the assigning.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise presenting to the user a list of clusters ordered according to the confidence level.
 15. The device of claim 12, wherein the analyzing comprises parsing the log text using natural language processing.
 16. The device of claim 12, wherein the mapping includes a one-to-many mapping of a problem abstract to a plurality of resolution summaries.
 17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising: collecting information associated with a plurality of tickets, the information of each of the plurality of tickets including a problem abstract and a log text regarding an issue affecting performance of a communication system; analyzing the log text of each of the plurality of tickets to obtain a problem resolution associated with the problem abstract for that ticket; defining a plurality of clusters in accordance with respective problem abstracts of the plurality of tickets, each of the plurality of clusters including at least one of the plurality of tickets; labeling each of the plurality of clusters; creating a library of the labeled clusters having a plurality of entries, wherein each entry includes a cluster label, a problem abstract pertaining to that cluster, and a resolution summary pertaining to that problem abstract, thereby indicating a mapping of the problem abstract to the resolution summary for that cluster, wherein the mapping includes a one-to-many mapping of a problem abstract to a plurality of resolution summaries; training, based on the mapping, a first machine-learning application for generating a predicted resolution summary for each of the plurality of clusters; training, based on the mapping, a second machine-learning application for classifying a new ticket into one of the plurality of clusters; assigning the new ticket to a cluster according to the classifying; and analyzing tickets of at least one cluster using an electronic dispatcher application and reporting tool (EDART), wherein the EDART tool causes closure of a ticket in accordance with a policy, wherein responsive to a ticket in the at least one cluster being closed, the EDART tool causes attachment, to each open ticket in that cluster, of a message indicating a pending review by a user.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the assigning further comprises generating a number indicating a confidence level for the assigning.
 19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise presenting to the user a list of clusters ordered according to the confidence level.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the analyzing comprises parsing the log text using natural language processing. 